((Nah, you're good.))
The shout that carried out into the room echoed in the large space, and Pluto moved closer to Celeste as she carefully controlled the habitual flinch that threatened to show. She rocked on her heels slightly, something to do and focus on instead of the shadows clinging to her mind, as the King wrapped up whatever he had been discussing.
She didn't miss the shift in Lin's demeanor as the other King greeted him, skilled enough in reading body language to note that his respectful and polite greeting and expression was a lie. Interesting. Before he could introduce her for her, Celeste spoke, cutting him off and earning a disgruntled side-eye. "Celeste Sovanna, your Majesty." She said, the corners of her lips turning up in a friendly smile, something she was well aware wasn't quite the right protocol for greeting royalty, especially this high up. One of her father's allies or not, though, she had developed a set of rules when it came to meeting people of any status. And smiling was first on that list.
(ok. Btw would Soren know who she is?)
Soren looked at the girl. Celeste Sovanna, eh? He narrowed his eyes slightly. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, miss Sovanna." He said calmly, ignoring her blatant disregard for etiquette. His signet ring flashed on his right hand. "I am King Soren Aevin. Welcome to my kingdom." He looked at King Lin again. "What can I do for you?" He asked.
The guards stationed around the room kept a wary eye on the two visitors and the wolg.. The one closest to the throne, standing a foot away from Soren's left elbow, seemed to be the one in charge, with a red badge around his upper right arm. He especially kept a close eye, though he, like the others, remained silent as the grave.
((He wouldn't know her personally, but he would likely have had a run-in with her once, and heard things here and there as a result of her accidental reputation.))
Celeste reached up to trace the design on the back of her neck, her eyes flickering from King to King with a sort of curious and calculating look, one that didn't match up with her smile. That would prove to be a common thing, her eyes never quite matching her expression. Or each other, for that matter. Pluto huffed a sound almost like a sigh, shifting as he sat down next to her, intelligent eyes scanning the room.
Lin straightened to his full height, which, admittedly, made him fairly imposing. If Celeste had to hazard a guess, though, she would probably be willing to bet it was all show. "My apologies for the sudden visitation, but I would like to request permission to stay here for a little while. Ms. Sovanna and I are currently on business in your kingdom, and I thought paying you a visit might be good for relations." Celeste had to admit, he made a good point, even with the slightly vague information. With the tumultuous relationship between the two kingdoms, a tentative alliance would be good, for both the people and the seats of power.
(alright good to know)
Soren sighed softly, looking over the two. He tapped his fingers against the throne for a moment.
A servant came in, walking to the man beside the throne and saying something softly.
The guard nodded, and bent to murmur in Soren's ear.
Soren looked up at the guard, and nodded curtly. "Go. Take however many you need, captain Mikhail."
Captain Mikhail bowed slightly, and gestured to half the guards in the room, and they left.
Soren returned his attention to King Lin and Celeste. "As you have come on such short notice, I'm afraid we don't have rooms available for you to use yet. However, I will let you stay here. Just be aware that this kingdom cannot and will not tolerate meddling from you two, and if I need to escort you to the border by force, I will."
Celeste cut off Lin once more, this time saving Soren from some passive-aggressive comment. "Of course, your Majesty. Your hospitality is much appreciated, in any case." Her words were spoken honestly and paired with the same friendly smile, this time not quite hiding the curiosity in her odd eyes. She seemed almost oblivious to the glare the disgruntled looks had turned to, as her fingers traced the dreamcatcher on her neck once more before lowering to clasp her other hand in front of her. "That seems quiet worrying." She said, her eyes flickering to the door, before meeting his once again. Another sort-of breach of proper manners. "Anything I can do to offer assistance?"
Soren nodded, and said something to the servant, who gave the two a curious glance before hurrying off. He turned back to Celeste and King Lin. "No, there is nothing for you to do." He said firmly. "My guards have it under control." His eyes flickered slightly, and he twisted the signet ring on his hand.
The servant came back, and bowed. "Your highness, the rooms in the east wing are already full of guests for the festival."
Soren frowned slightly. "Oh. Put them in…" He hesitated. "The West wing."
"What? B-but sire, that wing is for you!" The servant spluttered. "You and your relatives!"
Soren sighed. "Yes, and I haven't any relatives left, now do I? So put them in the West wing. You know which rooms are to be left undisturbed, and which they may be housed in." He looked at the servant, speaking firmly.
The servant sighed, and bowed. "Yes your highness." He said, giving Lin and Celeste a dirty look before leaving the room again.
I don't see why getting rooms at an inn is entirely out of the question. Celeste thought to herself, tilting her head as she watched the servant leave. She opened her mouth, an apology and some sort of offer to stay in the servant's quarters or an inn on the tip of her tongue. Lin spoke quicker though, almost as though he had known exactly what she was about to say.
"As my companion said, your hospitality is very much appreciated, your Majesty. Though please, do excuse her habit of butting into things that do not concern her." Lin flickered a significant look over to Celeste, and a flicker of something passed across her face, before she returned to watching the door. "Her upbringing apparently lacked boundaries." That drew an even more noticeable reaction from Celeste, and she leaned into the wolf at her side for comfort after flinching. "I apologize on her behalf."
Soren studied Celeste for a long moment. Yes, I can imagine her upbringing must have been unusual. What with that father of hers. He thought. He looked at Lin. "Of course. And pardon my servants rudeness, as well. He is one of the newer.ones." One of the ones brought in to replace those slaughtered in the massacres a few months ago. He reflected. Good gods, I have a lot to take care of. He sighed softly. Eliha and the other guards will take care of the debacle at the Elluin, but… He stood up from his throne.
"Ah. The newer ones tend to take a bit to get used to how things work." Lin said, nodding. His voice carried understanding, but it wasn't all that hard to tell it was fake, if one was paying attention. "Are we taking up too much of your time, Majesty?" There was that slight passive-aggressiveness again, almost condescending but not quite. Such were things with royalty.
Soren raised an eyebrow slightly. "No, of course not." Anything not to have to argue about getting married with the nobles again-! He thought. He walked over to them. "Is there anything I should tell the servants about? Certain requirements for your rooms?" He glanced at the wolf. "Such as…a door between the two?" He allowed a very small smirk to flit across his face as he made the veiled insinuation that Lin and Celeste were involved in a less than appropriate relationship; that she was his mistress.
While disgust made itself apparent on Lin's face, something entirely different played out on Celeste's. Something very similar to fear. Not of being caught, or anything, but it almost seemed like fear of the very idea of a door between the rooms, of doing anything like that with Lin. "Windows." She choked out, after biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, clearing her head. "If there's any chance I can have access to windows, that would be appreciated. No door between them, though." Definitely not.
Soren gave her a long, careful look. "Are you alright, miss Sovanna?" He asked slowly. "And of course you will have windows. All of the rooms do. Yours will most likely overlook the gardens." He told her. Most of the windows on the West Wing did. His own did, though his floor was higher up than Lin and Celeste's would be. He looked at the wolf. "Is there anything that should be done to make the room more comfortable for the…wolf?" He asked, raising his eyebrow slightly. This close, it was easy to see that despite his obvious youth, there were already a sprinkling of pure white hairs on his temple, along with a worry line where his eyebrows seemed almost permanently drawn together in worry and stress.
"I'm fine." Celeste said with a nod, a slightly strained smile taking over the previous look on her face. Pluto seemed to understand that Soren was talking about him, the wolf's yellow eyes settling on the King's as his ears twitched slightly. "Er-…maybe a dish for water?" She fell quiet for just a moment, seemingly listening to something, before nodding. "Yeah. If it's not too much hassle, a dish for water would be ideal." Celeste's mismatched eyes took the opportunity to look Soren over up close, the colors changing without any apparent rhyme or reason. She looked every bit the witch she was, with her odd hair and eyes and marking visible on teh skin peaking out from under her cloak, even if her short stature kind of cut away from that.
Soren nodded. "Alright. I'll make sure that happens." He seemed sincere, and while he noticed how closely she was studying him, he didn't saw a word in reprimand. He looked at her for a moment, taking note of her eyes and hair. A witch, perhaps? Interesting. He thought to himself. "Now. As it will be an hour or so before your rooms are ready, is there anything I can help you with? Food, perhaps? A tour of the grounds?" If he wasn't busy, the nobles would pounce on him, pestering him to get married, or expand the borders, or this or that and the other thing, and he was sick of it. Showing a visitor around was the perfect excuse to ignore them.
"I have a message that needs sent, so I will have to pass." Lin said, looking between the two of them with a coldly calculating gaze. "But I am sure Ms. Sovanna would gladly accept that invitation. A chance to stretch her legs some more after the long trip."
Celeste knew that look. That look meant she wasn't allowed to refuse. She had seen it on her father's men so many times, on her father as well, and her "I would." was second nature. "As long as you aren't busy." She added almost hastily, once again tracing the mark on the back of her neck. "I'd hate to get in the way of anything important."
Soren nodded. "Of course. If you have anything you need help with, ask one of the servants, and they will assist you." He told Lin. He looked at Celeste. "I have nothing important to take care of that i know of, and if I don't know of it, it can't be that important." He said with a small laugh.
Suddenly, a noble came storming into the room. "What's this about you giving these…these visitors rooms in your royal wing?!" The woman demanded, stalking right up to Soren.
Soren raised his eyebrows. "Lady Eline." He greeted. "I may give visitors rooms in whatever wing I wish to. I am the king, am I not?"
Lady Eline spluttered. "Well, yes, but…the royal wing! It's disgraceful! Absolutely disgraceful!"
Soren's voice turned firm. "Lady Eline, I may do whatever I wish. This is still my palace, and this is still my country, and I am still king!" He said, eyes flashing. "Do not dare try to tell me what to do. I am not your husband, I am not your son, and I am not your subject! You are my subject, and you would do well to remember that!"
Lady Eline spluttered again, then turned on her heel. "Hmph! It's disgraceful and disgusting, is what it is!" She said, stalking out of the room.
Soren pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "My apologies. My court is…rather high strung these days." He said slowly, eyes flashing with irritation and anger.
Celeste blinked a few times, only noticing her tense and hunched posture after a bit too long. She really needed to work on that, the hiding when someone was mad. You're not getting anything done like that. Especially out here. She watched Soren's face carefully as he spoke, noting the anger and, more importantly, the underlying stress. "Chamomile." Her voice was soft, but sure, and it took her a moment to realize she should expand upon that. "It's good for stress, and helping people sleep." Though she hated the taste of tea herself, she still brewed and sold it on occasion, and plenty of people swore by chamomile as a way to help themselves sleep.
Soren looked at her. "What? Oh. I…am not much for tea." He replied with a small smile. "It's not my favorite drink. I prefer coffee." He said with a small shrug. "So. Are you hungry? Or would you prefer a tour of the grounds?" He asked, straightening the pale blue jacket he wore. The signet ring on his finger flashed again, the symbol of the Aevin house on it.
"A tour would be wonderful." Celeste said, her smile reaching her eyes this time, if a bit small. "And I can't say I'm much of a tea person either. I can appreciate a good cup of coffee, though." Pluto stood, walking directly between Soren and Celeste as Lin left the room. The wolf continued, stopping in front of the door and sitting down facing it, like he didn't even trust Lin. It would easily look like he was just waiting to leave, but Celeste knew her familiar better than that.
Soren nodded, and offered her his arm before he started walking. He watched the wolf for a moment, then opened the doors and kept walking. "I'll take you through the palace itself, then to the gardens." He explained as they walked. His dark hair was starting to fall over his forehead, rather than stay neat and tucked back under his crown.
Hesitance showed in Celeste's movements as she accepted the arm and let him lead her along, unclasping her cloak and folding it with very little use of the hand attached to the arm hooked through his. Magic may have been involved, just a bit. When the fabric was folded up as small as she could make it, she slipped it into the pouch at her waist, and it disappeared easily. The markings along her arms drew attention, thanks to her rolled up sleeves. "Oh, the gardens should be fun. Reminiscent of home, if I'm lucky." Pluto followed along on her other side as they walked, apparently deciding Soren was trust-worthy enough for now.
Soren glanced at the markings on her arms with curiosity. "I see." He said in response to her words about the gardens. He hesitated for a long moment. "This may be incredibly rude of me, but…are you a witch?" He asked, looking down at her curiously as they walked. He pointed to the side. "That's the entrance to the east wing, where you would be staying were it not for the upcoming Dragon Festival."
"Dragon Festival?" Celeste tilted her head curiously, before his question registered in her mind. She let out a puff of air somewhat similar to a laugh, nodding. "I am. The Witch of Morovi Forest kind of has to be a witch, after all." Her eyes flickered to Pluto, and she once again seemed to be listening to something no one else could hear.
He nodded. "I see." He sighed softly. "The Dragon Festival is a celebration of the monarchy, in its most basic form. The Dragon is the symbol of the Aevin house, and the Dragon Festival is a celebration of the history. The magician Kings, the witch queens, the non magical rulers. All of them. Of us. And the majority of the nobles come to see it."
She nodded as she listened, showing she was paying attention to him as her eyes swept around the halls they walked through. "It sounds interesting." She commented, once he had finished speaking. Her eyes settled on him, on his eyes more specifically, as she smiled. "Are you excited for the Festival?"
His strange, blue eyes met hers, before sliding back to look around the palace. "Well…it's complicated." He said slowly. "There's a lot that I have to do for the Festival, and there's a lot of public appearances. Which normally I wouldn't mind, but…" He trailed off. He didn't need to share details of the specific problems his kingdom was having.
"There are other things that are more pressing." She said with a nod, a knowing look on her face. While she had no clue as to the specifics of these 'other things', she understood how that all worked, like piling more food onto an already overfilled plate. "Is there no one who can help ease that burden?"
He gave a slightly harsh, bitter laugh. "No. Were I married, yes. But I am not. And I cannot hand off responsibilities to my nobles; they are too much like a pack of…" He glanced at Pluto. "Er, like wild animals. At each other's throats, and at mine." He shook his head. "No. I have to be the one.making decisions and such."
Pluto huffed a breath, almost like he was laughing at Soren's carefulness with his words in regards to wolves. Celeste sighed softly, shaking her head. "I guess that makes sense, then. Though, you really shouldn't have to put all of this on yourself. Any way I can offer some assistance, please, do let me know. A trade for your hospitality, if you must."
Soren shook his head. "No, I cannot ask that of you." He said. He was silent for a moment, then pointed out a doorway. "There's the dining room. The informal one, anyway. In the morning, if you're hungry, just head in there and there's food. Same goes for lunch and dinner."
